The Hunger Games (Writing Contest) [CLOSED]

Luca's Version

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There was something sinister about this arena, I had come to realize over the past few days. I found myself constantly peeking over my shoulder, my head on a constant swivel for a tribute. Perhaps it was the way the dense forest cut off all traveling noises. Or it mightve been the way that the birds watched me with one eye as I sauntered past. Earlier today, I found a large opening in the earth, like a cave. It was almost entirely covered by bushes and small tree-like plants.

This was the kind of arena to drive men mad. To keep my mind busy, I counted all of the people I knew back home and paced outside the entrance of the cave. It kept me moving and stimulated my memory and motor skills.

"Callix, the boy that was good with knives", I whispered to myself as I dug my sword into the ground over and over again. "Lillian was really good with throwing stars. Oh, and Lupita once threw an ax at—"

I was cut off by the sound of stomping feet. Instantly, I was pressed on the ground, my sword clutched in my right hand. The approaching person mustve heard the shuffling of dead leaves because the footsteps paused for a minute or so. I bit my fist to hold down my labored breathing. The moments of silence were like torture as I waited anxiously.

A lengthy sigh came from the persons mouth and then a hollow "plunk" noise followed. I heard a zipper being untied and a canteen being fiddled with.

I was more confident than before, so I moved into a crouching position, maneuvering my way to a large set of tropical bushes. As I reached it, I glanced over to find a girl. She had pale skin and dark brown hair that was tied into a tight ponytail at the nape of her neck. In one hand, a sharpened ax was clutched, and in the other, a canteen in which she was sipping on.

A sitting duck. As far as I could tell, she had no companions. My brain wracked for a name to connect to the face. The only thing I could come up with was District Seven. Her name, what was her name?

My thoughts were cut off as she zipped her canteen back into her rucksack. My chance was getting away! The girl walked towards me, her ax still clutched safely in her hand. I flinched as she reached down right next to me to examine a suspiciously large pile of wood.

"Tracker Jackers?" She croaked. Her throat sounded dry and raspy.

I seized my chance as it appeared to me. I twisted my sword and thrust it out at the girls throat. Her reflexes were quick, however, and she tried to whip away from the weapon. She undershot my sword, unfortunately for her, and it made contact with her shoulder. A large gash formed and blood quickly began to spurt out of it like a waterfall. She staggered back. The adrenaline was already flowing through my veins. I made myself visible to the girl. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide with shock and a slight tinge of fear. She had to have recognized me. I was a Career, after all. The red hot liquid seeped almost instantly into her jacket, turning its once green color into a deep brown.

"Where are your allies?" I asked. The rush of emotions made my voice sound shaky and uncertain.

"Close." She muttered.

"Whats your name?" I barked. One of her hands reached for her shoulder and tried in vain to staunch the flow of blood.

"Addalyn. Im Addalyn." She said in barely a whisper.

Suddenly, I heard a loud buzzing right next to my ear. I swatted at it, cursing under my breath. The bug didnt catch the hint because it stung on my hand. I winced, examining to already swelling flesh. I picked out the stinger and threw it to the ground. There was another buzz, this time from behind me.

"What the—" I was cut off as Addalyn went for an attack. She raised her ax, aiming it straight for my chest, but I quickly dodged it, deflecting with my arm. The gash was short, perhaps four or five inches, but the severity was unknown.I charged her. I swung my sword, making a cut just above her temple. The wound was not deep, but she still let out a groan of either frustration or pain.

In a split second, I noticed three things. One: a hoard of insects-- tracker jackers due to the orange color-- was gathered around the pile of wood, appearing identical to the thing that stung me. Two: my foot was about three inches away from the wood. Three: Addalyn just began to run towards me, her ax ready for an ambush.

My decision might have been foolish, but it was the only thing I considered. With a large intake of breath, I stomped down onto the woodpile as hard as possible. In an instant, the whole world exploded with the insects. Despite the incessant buzzing and darting orange shapes, I managed to make sense of Addalyns figure. She was swatting frantically at the air, trying to get the bugs off of her skin. I let out an aggravated yell. I swung my leg back to gain momentum and brought it down with immeasurable force on Addalyns kneecap. Her knee let out a deafening crack, as though a firework had been set off right next to my ear. Addalyn let out the most haunting scream I ever heard. One that pierced the humid air and traveled for miles. She collapsed to the ground in a heap. Tears flowed like waterfalls down her face as she continued to scream in agony. Her leg was bent the wrong way in a grotesque fashion.

Addalyn collapsed to the ground, clutching her mangled knee. I didnt even glance back as I sprinted away. The only thing that I could comprehend was the pain. Sharp stings burst over my arms and legs, giving birth to disgusting welts. I tried my best to pick out the stingers from the welts, in order to prevent any more poison from entering my veins. I heard the screams of the girl from Seven, even as I was hundreds of yards away. The poison warped the agonized screams into words that I barely heard over my heart pumping in my ears.

"Luca! Luca, you killed me, you killed me!"

I stumbled like a fool and attempted to make my feet shuffle forward. The girl gave out a particularly thunderous wail. I scratched desperately at my ears, to silence the screams.

The world was spinning so fast that I lost control of my legs, slamming into the dirt. I was barely conscious when I tumbled into a divot in the dirt. It was like a trench, just tall and wide enough for me to curl up in. The screams became hushed as the minutes dragged on, the hallucinations calming for only a slight moment. A cannon burst in the sky like a drum, signifying that Addalyn was dead. I reached up to my face, to inspect for any more welts, but jerked my hand back when I detected a wetness. I was crying.